WELCOME TO MY HEALTH & FITNESS BLOG!

*The site you are on right now (www.halfofgabby.blogspot.com) is no longer posting new articles and information. Half of Gabby has moved to www.halfofgabby.com and will continue to post new material regularly! In addition, all older articles have been updated on the new site.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

BIRD SEED ORNAMENTS: Feed the Birdies!

* The page
that you are on right now (www.halfofgabby.blogspot.com) is no longer posting
new articles and information. Half of Gabby has moved to www.halfofgabby.com
and will continue to post new material regularly! In addition, all older
articles have been updated on the new site!

~~~

This is such a great craft to do with the Littles! You're going to love making these bird seed ornaments! They come out so pretty and are so fun and easy to make!

I did this craft with Jossy's first grade class for her Valentine's Day Party last year. We made 25 ornaments! They were a big hit! The class had a blast making their ornaments!

This year my girls and I decided to make them again, but this time just for home :)

The girls worked hard on their heart ornaments (so did mommy).

But we found some time to goof around too... as usual ;)

Our bird seed ornaments came out great this year too!

BEFORE

AFTER

Last year a friend told me how amazing this ornament recipe was, so I just had to try it. She wasn't kidding. It really is perfect. You won't believe how simple it is and how absolutely awesome the ornaments come out! They set up perfectly. It's like magic!

This of course doesn't need to be a Valentine's Day craft. You can make these ornaments in any shape and at any time of the year. The birdies will love you for it no matter what the season! Although, I do like the idea of helping the little chirpers out with some yummy treats in the winter when their food is more scarce.

The great thing about this craft is that the kiddies can help with every step. When you're done, it's extra special to watch the birdies eat from them. The kids get so tickled!

It's the perfect craft for a cold and wintery weekend!

Are you ready for the magic bird seed ornament recipe? Of course you are!

1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.2. Lay parchment paper or wax paper down to create a work area.3. Spray the insides of your cookie cutters or your mini pans with cooking spray.4. Pack the bird seed mixture into the cookie cutters/mini pans. Pack them tight!5. *If you are using separate mini pans (like I did), you can right away take the bird seed ornaments out by carefully and gently flipping the pan upside down into the palm of your other hand. Then gently lay them on the paper. Reshape slightly if needed.*If you are using cookie cutters, you may need to let the mixture dry 2-4 hours before you push the ornaments through them. You'll have to feel it out.6. However, no matter what you're using to shape the ornaments, you'll need to immediately poke holes at the top of your ornaments with a straw. This is so you can hang them later on. Move the straw around to make sure you create a big enough hole and make sure you go all the way though the ornament.

7. Let the ornaments set up and dry. It's best to let them set up for 24 hours, but we just let ours set up overnight (it ended up being around 15 hours before we decorated them).8. Use string or ribbon and thread it through your ornament holes.

Once the birdies eat up the ornaments, they can weave the strings and ribbons into their nest!

9. To decorate, spread nut butter on top of the ornaments and then press in your seeds, nuts, raisins, dried cranberries, etc.

10. Hang them outside and listen for the tweets!

We hung ours on our backyard gate so that we could look outside and watch the birdies eat their treats! This is our view from the back door :)

Craft time is our special time together. My girls and I always have so much fun... and nothing beats their big smiles.

I hope they both understand that when they're in their 30s, we're still going to have craft time. I keep telling them this, but I just continue to get eye rolls :)

You will receive daily goodies including: HEALTH & FITNESS TIPS, WORKOUTS, HEALTHY RECIPES, MOTIVATING ENCOURAGEMENT, as well as FAMILY FITNESS, MOMMY IDEAS, CRAFT IDEAS, and even FUNNY STORIES & ARTICLES for some comedic relief. You get a little bit of everything in just one click :)

*The information on
this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional
medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content in this article is for
general information purposes only. I am not a doctor, nor am I a dietitian.
Talk to your physician before making any changes in your diet or exercise
regimen. The information found in this article is from various sources which
include, but are not limited to, the sites listed above. I encourage you to do
your own research and talk with your physician before making any changes in
diet or exercise. What has worked for me may not work for you. This information
in this article or on this website should never replace or serve as medical
advice.

NEVER DISREGARD
PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECAUSE OF
SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ ON OR HAVE ACCESSED THROUGH THIS WEB SITE.

My Fitness Photo Shoot Pics

Photography by Ilene Marshall Photography

Followers

CRAZY IS ALL IN A DAY'S WORK

My whole lifeI have been described as crazy and funny by other people. And I don't mean crazy as in truly certifiably crazy, I mean more as in I say what comes to my mind . I think a big part of the reason people think I'm funny is because I say what everyone else is thinking. People who don't know me are sometimes taken aback by my candidness and those who know me try to be prepared, but are still often left shaking their heads. My Hubs is famous for shaking his head at me. He'll try to say he's grossed out or shocked but he secretly loves it. It's part of my charm and why he fell in love with me ;)

I would not describe myself as crazy. But we all catch the crazies every once in a while, fo sho. But I do say what's on my mind and I do have a fondness for dirty words.

I do love to laugh though, so it's a good thing I married a funny man. I grew up with a big italian family with wicked funny humor. My father's side was more the dirty, foul mouthed humor and my mother's side was more the witty, clever humor. Either way, it was all freakin' hilarious, so I had to catch the funnies...it's in my blood. I love spending time with people who enjoy getting their own smile on. A night of hanging with family and friends and laughing until my stomach hurts is my perfect kind of evening.

It's not all funny business though, I try hard to be a good person and work hard on bettering myself all the time. I hope to have the privilege of living a long life and I hope to die being the very best version of myself. One of my biggest goals in this life is to inspire and empower other women to start their own journeys. Weight loss journeys really aren't about losing weight at all. They're about gaining life. It's amazing how health and fitness serves as a portal into a world where you learn to love and respect yourself. A world where you see your beauty, the true beauty that lives inside of you and makes you who you really are.

I've been through my share of shit(as has everybody) and have had to endure days that will not soon be forgotten. My past is what attributed to me becoming a therapist. I believe that being happy isn't having a life void of problems, but is being a person who knows how to deal with the problems. Trials and tribulations are a part of life, it's a fact...shit happens....so you gotta learn how to forge through it. And life at any moment can turn your world upside down. So I consider any day that my family is happy and healthy, well, that's a great day...and something to be so very, very grateful for.

My wish is to create a badass army of empowered women.This is the main reason I created my blog, Half of Gabby. I realized if I could learn to conquer my obesity and all the demons that caused it, I could maybe, just maybe, inspire other women to do the same. It saddens me to watch women keep their heads down, constantly pull at their clothes out of self-consciousness, and put themselves last in all areas of their life. I used to do that, all of it. When I see these women, I feel their heavy sadness because I too once felt it. I know how hard it is to lift that weight off of your shoulders. But I also know it's possible because I did it. And if I can do it, anybody can do it. So that's why I'm here... to build an army. An army of badass women who know their worth and see how beautiful they are, BEFORE and after they hit goal weight.

It's time to stare your fear down, go after your dreams, and start thinking and acting like the badass that you are.

FOLLOW HALF OF GABBY ON FACEBOOK FOR DAILY WEIGHT LOSS AND HEALTH TIPS, RECIPES, WORKOUTS, MOTIVATION, FAMILY ACTIVITY AND FITNESS IDEAS, AND MUCH MORE! YOU'LL EVEN GET SOME COMEDIC RELIEF WITH SOME OF THE TRUE LIFE, FUNNY STORIES I SHARE. BESIDES, LAUGHTER BURNS CALORIES ;)